Postmodern Fiction Essay

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Adi Elmaleh English 12H Mr. Dunton March 7, 2011 Postmodern Fiction Unit Essay Arthur Goldwag states, “Irony is the antidote to angst, life's randomness and meaningless is to be taken for granted, self-contradiction is the method of telling, fiction is artifact, and the author is explicitly or implicitly present in the text as the man behind the curtain.” Goldwag’s theory explains that in order for a short story to be considered post-modern fiction, it must meet this criterion. “If you must make an emergency phone call, ask your supervisor first. If you cant find your supervisor, ask Philip Spiers…if you make an emergency phone call without asking, you may be let go” (484). The world is coming to a state of bitter irony. Where money is more important than a person’s health. Daniel Orozco’s “Orientation” is a good example of Goldwag’s theory of chaos being the norm. Orozco illustrates the image of postmodern fiction through a man who is working in an office. He is explaining to the new employee the office set-up and its rules. It is a humorous story because one would not think that an office truly runs on the system illustrated in the story. When in truth this is what reality has come to, a circus. The author introduces the story with a skewed sense of humor. He is trying to mock the system by setting up a list of rules that must be abided by or else “you may be let go”(484). “Orientation” meets the criteria for Goldwag’s rule of postmodern fiction story telling due to the way the character contradicts himself within the same sentence, “ This is your phone. Never answer your phone” (484). It is also expressed through the random series of events that appear to lack a plot. However, this is what Orozco is aiming for. He is comparing the real world to the style of his writing, which at first seems messy and insignificant but comes together at the end and
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